Wu Dang TAI HE Style Boxing

Wu Dang Great Harmony shows a collection of forms and exercises of great interest for training methods if nothing else. The demonstrator, Fan Ke Ping, is the author of an unusual series of books with illustrations of practitoners dressed in old style Chinese garb demonstrating a number of unique forms like the split knives. (Plum is just about the only place you can still get copies of this series - it's hard to find). The demosntrations of the Iron Body and Poison Hand training is quite extensive with much discussion in Chinese of correct form, respirational technique and more. As with all serious Iron Hand, Golden Bell and Poison Hand training caution should be observed in any practice of them. As a historical note, "Tai He" (Great Harmony) is said to have been the name of the Wu Dang area before it was changed through imperial edict to what we now call it.

Demonstrator: Fan Ke Ping is the 13th generation leader of the Wu Dang Tai He style.
Click pictures to enlarge

DISCLAIMER: We don't normally do this but since this is a Poison Hand series and since Teacher Fan appears to have some of the features, such as a sunken visage, of those who practice this method to excess, we feel compeled to remind the buyer that this type of training should only be approached with caution.

VCD#1265 Golden Bell Exercises
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

"Jin Zhong Zhao" is the Chinese name of Golden Bell Qigong. This series comes from the Song Dynasty from Tong Zhou. In the Ming period it was linked by Tao Shi Deng Kun Lun to WuDang (Tai He) Kung fu. This is one stage of Iron Body training - also known as the Goldern Bell as int his case - which is a combination of breathing, dynamic tension and striking exercises. The strikes here may seem a little light because in this series, with this painted background all the sound tracks are re-dubbed with a professional narrator and the normal sound tracks are removed. Do the striking doesn't "sound." At the end of this series there is self striking down with wooden instruments and something like the cover is replicated. Nor recommended for those prone to headaches.

VCD#1266 Five Phoenix Iron Shirt Work
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

Tie Bu Shan. Iron Shirt training is an important part of many Kung Fu systems. Developed slowly over the centuries it can be broken down into a general schema: introduce the movement, introduce the breathing, show the Jing or energy, focus the mind and then strike the body or have the body struck. It is important to know that these different levels were not always taught at once. So this version of the Iron Shirt excludes the striking practice. It can still be considered Iron Shirt training though more for health perservation than fighting. This method is said to have been passed from Tong Zhou (in the Song Dynasty) and then refined by Tao Shi (priest) Deng Kun Len during the Ming Dynasty.

VCD#1267 Five Phoenix Tai Yi Chi Kung
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

"WuFeng Qi Ming Gui XiSu" or the Five Phoenix Combined Shouting Tortoise Resting Method. This comes under the category of Iron Body. This approach not only has some body striking but utilizes meridan massage and stretching postures, both very good additions to standard training. This not only assures health preservation but acts as a safety guard for the possible difficulties of the harder training. Some claim this form dates back more than 1000 years to the Western Han period. In the Song Dynasty Tong Zhou learned it from an unknown master & passed it along. Kun Lun Deng spent 50 years to developing it further with traditional Wudang internal gong.

VCD#1268 Five Poison Hand
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

This routine also known as "5 Poison Emission Hand". Poison hand training is a branch of body conditioning far less known than Iron hand training. The difference lies in the approach which generally emphasizes less power, more speed, a lighter touch and the control of Chi. It is said that poison hand training can be bad for the trainer if not done properly. For those completely unfamiliar with this type of training this and other VCDs might seem a little odd. Much of the time is spent in technical discussions and there are long sections where the practitioners wind up but DON"T hit their training bags. Exotic training methods.

VCD#1269 Five Poison Spirit Hand
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

This series is much along the same lines as that of the VCD directly above. Breathing, focusing and eventually striking exercises are shown against a sand bag supported on a small bench as in the scan. Many of the stikes are done very lightly, poison hand style, before showing the more foreful demonstrations.

VCD#1271 WD Tai Chi 13 Manners
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

This traditional form combines health preservation and self defense. Don't expect anything that looks like well known Tai Chi sets. One of its distinguishing characteristics is that the movements are mostly symmetrical. Some recognizable actions much like Repulse Monkey and Single Whip are well represented. This method is said to have been developed by a Taoist priest, Kun Lun Deng, during the early days of the Ming Dynasty. It came from the Deng Jia Quan 6th road combined with the essence of Zhang San Feng's Taiji Quan & 30 years experience of Wudang Quan.

VCD#1272 WD Road #6 San Shou
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

This intermediate to adavanced level routine concentrates on Wu Dang Tai He's usage in fighting. It shows a number of applications from the core of the system. To our tastes there is a little too much discussion and often only one repetition of the application. Not all movements demonstrated are actually shown with an application. This does give a sense of the strikes of this particular system, however, some of which are direct to points on the body.

VCD#1273 Dragon Boxing
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

Dragon Fist also known as "Continuous Stepping Fist". It was created by grand master Liu Chong Jun, President of the Sichuan Martial Association, about 100 years ago. It was introduced in National Nanjing Wushu college & became a mandatory subject for wushu students. Fast movements are well-arranged & balanced. This is often known as Lien Bu and used as a "basic" set though, technically it does not serve that purpose all that well in that it has few truly basic movements. It is very common, the first form taught, for example in the Northern Shaolin system. This version, taught by the teacher with three helpers, bears little resemblance to the typical beginning level version - though it is definitely the same form. It is a fluid set with some complex hand actions.

VCD#1274 Stone Monkey Boxing
About an hour, VCD pricing, Chinese Only

It is said that this form was created by Tai Jing, a folk wushu practitioenr during Song Dynasty, over 500 years ago, based on experience of fighting with a Ape. The movements utilize some very quick actions and typical monkey like postures. This is one of the few examples of a Westerner demonstrating in any of these series.